CO-04 (Special Election)
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(R) Greg Lopez
(R) Trisha Calvarese
90%
10%
President (To Win Colorado)
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(D) Joe Biden*
(R) Donald Trump
80%
20%↓
CO-01 (Denver)
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(D) Diana DeGette*
90%
CO-02 (Boulder-ish)
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(D) Joe Neguse*
90%
CO-03 (West & Southern CO)
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(D) Adam Frisch
(R) Jeff Hurd
(R) Ron Hanks
40%
30%
20%
CO-04 (Northeast-ish Colorado)
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(R) Lauren Boebert
(R) Deborah Flora
(R) J. Sonnenberg
30%↑
15%↑
10%↓
CO-05 (Colorado Springs)
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(R) Dave Williams
(R) Jeff Crank
50%↓
50%↑
CO-06 (Aurora)
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(D) Jason Crow*
90%
CO-07 (Jefferson County)
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(D) Brittany Pettersen
85%↑
CO-08 (Northern Colo.)
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(D) Yadira Caraveo
(R) Gabe Evans
(R) Janak Joshi
60%↑
35%↓
30%↑
State Senate Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
80%
20%
State House Majority
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DEMOCRATS
REPUBLICANS
95%
5%
July 06, 2009 10:47 PM UTC
38 Comments
Ten dollars? I’ll give the schlub a nickel.
Seriously: this isn’t a minor deal because it betrays a lack of attention to detail.
Remember how Obama got hammered by the Right about his “wanna-be presidential seal”? He smiled and took his lumps, and moved on. The problem with Schaffer was that he didn’t show the same good grace when he was caught in his own geography gaffe.
Now McInnis should accept all responsibility, with a smile. “I just naturally assumed that every picture of a stunning, beautiful mountain range is more than likely taken in Colorado.” Something like that.
If McInnis instead blames The Ad-Makers or the like, he gets the public mad at him for accepting responsibility. Obama’s “I screwed up” should be the model. Not Bush’s blaming the Navy for putting up the “Mission Accomplished” banner.
At this point, I find it highly unlikely that Scooter will win the nomination next August. At this point, aren’t groups like Progress Now wasting their time with him? Shouldn’t they be going after Penry?
It seems like McInnis is doing a pretty damn good job tanking his own campaign.
Maybe they’re basing it all off of polling that shows McInnis as more of a threat than Penry to Ritter (campaign gaffes notwithstanding.)
Highly unlikely Scooter will win the primary? Not so fast. He knows how to raise money and campaign away from the warm embrace of his own base. Penry, if he in fact gets into the race, would step out of his class by leaving the friendly confines of Mesa County.
Campaign stuff this early is inside baseball.
Of course ProgressNow is basing it on the polls. McInnis is not a wingnut and would be a much stronger challenger to Ritter.
I guess I didn’t say it as clearly as I’d hoped. Let me try again:
I agree that McInnis would be the stronger general election opponent against Ritter. The polls show that, and logic would dictate that he would do better in the general than Penry.
However, to win the general, McInnis would have to first win the primary. Even though Penry is young, inexperienced, and a career politician, he’s hard right enough to do well enough in the GOP gubernatorial primary to beat McInnis IMO.
What it comes down to, I suppose, is whether or not the Republicans in this state have learned from the recent Democratic victories. If they stop being blinded by ideology, and go for the candidate with the bets chance to win, then maybe McInnis stands a chance in the primary. However, if the 2010 GOP gubernatorial primary follows the precedents from the statewide Republican primaries of the last few years, then they will go for the more right wing of the two–and that is unquestionably Penry.
Not only that, but Penry has set himself up in a very smart way for the run. As Pols has pointed out a few times in recent months, his speeches have been making allusions to Scott McInnis being part of the “old guard” Republicans who lost their way and started to become corrupt overspenders. He’s making himself out to be a vanguard who’s going to harken back to the days of Reagan and Goldwater–which is a message that the GOP activists who vote in the primary races will eat with a fork and knife.
Just my two cents. You’re completely right that this is early, and inside baseball, but that’s just where I see the race going over rhte next year or so.
Neither one will be on the ballot come fall. Save it for October.
I needed my horse race fix in the off-year. Okay, back to 2009…
Pray tell?
or whatever that guy’s name is…
He’s tarnished by the BUsh years, he’s been out of the political spotlight, and he represents the “old guard” of the Republican Party, something that Colorado Voters have now thoroughly rejected. I wish he would win the primary, it’d make it easier for our flailing Guv, but I think Penry can create the “young reformer” image and be a threat in the general.
Why? Like Bill Ritter, they’d much rather Penry be the opponent next November. So they’re taking McInnis down a notch every chance they get.
against a political opponent.
But yes, I must admit, it’s a smarter strategy than mine. Plus, Scooter is making it easy.
This election will be fought first in paid TV and second on the web. McInnis has no idea how to use the web while Penry does. (McInnis may have people working on the web but I don’t thinkhe or his campaign understand it at all.)
Just going to leave it at that. Sort of like a one word movie review.
Certainly a Dear Dairy moment. July is a good month.
n/t
I resemble that.
oh wait, this is tired and unfunny. I thought progressives were supposed to be sharp and witty?
I’m glad I’m not the only one. I kind of found myself thinking, “a day late and a dollar short but thanks for playing, Progress Now.”
I doubt they would have sent this out on the holiday weekend, so this was probably the first day they could.
I think it’s funny to offer, but I’m surer than hell not going to help buy McInnis a geography book. If he doesn’t know a Colorado mountain from someplace else (hint: look for timberline), that’s his electability problem not educational.
and juvenile, to be honest with you. You have a good point about the timing but I still think it’s a day late and a dollar short. Sorry but yesterday’s news doesn’t hold much appeal for me. On the other hand, in defense of your point, the masses don’t frequent blogs so this probably is new to them.
But Blue’s right, this is an attempt to keep McInnis’ slip-up from disappearing down the holiday weekend news hole. Honestly, the mountain mixup was funny enough.
Mission accomplished.
McInnis campaign has its own mountain misstep
http://www.denverpost.com/news…
Funny enough for the peanut gallery yet? Because I am now busting a gut.
Did it ever occur to you that maybe I really do think McInnis would benefit from a high quality survey course level geography textbook? This is what’s wrong with America, your assumption of partisan ill will. Really, shame on you.
Agreed though, excellent Denver Post story. (big smile)
Nice work, ProgressNow.
But my attitude could possibly be attributed to my own righteous indifference to mountain pictures.
14,000 Feet: A Celebration of Colorado’s Highest Mountains by Walter R. Borneman and Todd Caudle
It’s not a textbook but the pictures are great, this will hold Scooter’s attention longer anyway.
Sentinel follows Colorado Pols closely. They have ignored the story for five days. If they do nothing it will speak volumes over who Herzog supports. Or it will be just another spin in the death spiral.
How many votes do you think the Sentinel sways?
since two of the main GOP contenders are homeboys. That’s why it ought to be in the Sentinel.
The Sentinel normally doesn’t get involved in Republican politics, particularly when Republicans are embarrassing themselves.
After 30 years of reading the Sentinel, you kind of get used to it.
of Grand Junction is approx. 50,000. So, they are not swaying many. That’s for sure.
So the Grand Junction city population is deceiving.
As Ralphie says, you get used to it.
I wasn’t fact checking you, I just happened to be looking at the numbers today.
do a story that intentionally embarrasses a Republican when pigs fly out of Gary Harmons’ butt. Give them a chance to take a shot at a Democrat and they will fight to be first in line.
And the men who hold high places, must be the ones to start, to mold a new reality, closer to the heart..Geddy Lee, 1979
Saccone would have had some fun with this in his Daily Sentinel blog. It’s a shame he’s toiling away at the AG’s office these days, though both he and John Suthers are no doubt enjoying the fruits of his labor.
Same quote from Hess. Calls himself a volunteer campaign coordinator. Seems to be very expensive no matter how you look at it.
Also, Sentinel has a story that Penry is to announce Saturday at 9:00, in Mesa County.
that the Sentinel guy goes through to avoid saying “Flatirons.” I wanted to leave a comment about that but they don’t have comments available. I might email the author just to see what he says…
http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo…
Sorry if this is redundant, as WesternSlopeThought mentioned this canyon last week, and maybe others have.
Maybe Scott’s handlers thought it looked too much like Utah or Arizona. Damn geography.
What pre-pubescent, pizza-faced punk is advising this hydrocephalic’s campaign? Bad enough Ritter’s own hubris has weakened him, but we have Moe and Curly here tripping over one another trying to figure out how to launch any kind of adult retaliation.Pathetic.